In our ongoing mission to provide professional guidance and assistance in the corporate work environment, Y2 Consulting Psychologists offers its expertise in the area of fitness to work assessments, also known as fit to work evaluations. We have conducted several hundred fitness to work assessments over the years in both French and English and in different public (i.e., various departments/agencies within the Government of Canada, as well as different jobs at the Provincial and Municipal levels) and private sector organisations.
A fitness to work assessment is generally required in the following situations and is usually requisitioned by the employer:
- An employee is returning to work after a period of medical leave and the employer needs a professional medical assessment as to whether the employee is fit to work upon return or as to what accommodations may need to be put into place;
- An employee is experiencing difficulty in performing the duties of their position at work or appears to be affected by health-related factors;
- An employee is absent for a substantial period of time and a return-to-work date has not been established.
The subject employee must provide written consent to the fitness to work assessment and has a right to be given the reasons for it. The fitness to work evaluation is a medical assessment, and depending on the circumstances, can either examine the physical or mental health of the employee, or both. In the event a mental health evaluation is required, Y2 Consulting Psychologists' considerable expertise and experience in the field of Independent Medical Examination, be it of a psychological, neuropsychological or psychiatric nature, are drawn upon to reach a conclusion regarding the employee's fitness for work. Confidentiality is of utmost importance in these matters and the employer is not entitled to know the employee's diagnosis.
Our role here is to report back to the employer one of three conditions (the last two conditions may be reported as temporary or permanent):
- The employee is fit;
- The employee is unfit;
- The employee is fit, subject to work modifications or accommodations.